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Demopolis, Ala. – The 2007 Elite Series season has been full of incredible stories. Derek
Remitz’ start to the season at Lake Amistad and the Delta, Steve Kennedy’s record 122-pound, 14-ounce record at Clear Lake. Kevin VanDam won two Elite Series events; four anglers have reached the million dollar career earnings mark, and of course Skeet Reese has taken charge of the Angler of the Year Race.
One of the top stories of the year would have to be Boyd
Duckett. Duckett started 2007 with a win at the Bassmaster Classic. While he struggled for the first half of the season, Duckett has turned everything around and has turned 2007 into a season that could be compared the dominance of Reese,
VanDam, and perhaps even the famous Fritts Blitz of 1994.
David Fritts had the most dominating season the bass fishing world had seen at that point. He followed up his 1993 Bassmaster Classic win over 1993 and ’94, with nine top 10 finishes, eight of them in the top five including three wins. Van Dam had his own impressive year in 2006; posting eight top ten finishes including six in the top five. Meanwhile, Reese’s 2007 campaign has included nine top 10’s that include five top 5 finishes and a win.
The second half of Duckett’s 2007 season has included five top 10 finishes in seven tournaments, including his victory last week at the Bassmaster Legends. When he started his streak following the Southern Challenge at Lake Guntersville in Alabama, he was in 59th place in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings; he is currently in 10th. All of this to stack on top of his Bassmaster Classic win, and his 2007 earnings to date that total $836,500. |
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While Duckett’s season might not be the greatest season ever, it certainly would warrant consideration as one of the top 5 seasons of all time.
Duckett took the time to share with The BASS ZONE his feelings about winning the Legends, the details of his winning patterns and a little bit of his philosophy as a tournament angler, and how his business has helped him in his fishing.
The Legends – Qualifying Rounds
Duckett said that it was his versatility, and his willingness that allowed him to win the Bassmaster Legends at Lake Dardanelle. Majors are set up so that anglers will likely be fishing different styles, on a different part of the lake, if not a different lake altogether. When you add the weather variable, versatility and flexibility become all that more important.
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“I fished two patterns during the qualifying rounds,” said the 2007 Bassmaster Classic Champ. “They were both a result of the weather and water conditions.” On the first day of The Legends, Duckett said that the heat drove fish under matted cover on the main lake, and that a flipping pattern was best. But on the second day falling water made him pull out, and an entirely different pattern carried him into the finals. |
“I started out by picking up my E21 signature series flipping stick to punch matted grass,” he said. “I pegged a 1 ˝-ounce Tru-Tungsten Denny Brauer Flippin’ Weight to a 4/0 Owner Hook and a black and blue Berkley Chigger Craw on 65-pound Stren Super Braid, but had to change up the second day.”
He said that the water fell overnight, and he found the fish had left the matted cover, so he adjusted. “I picked up a ˝-ounce Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap in chrome and black and moved to the outer edges of the cover,” he said. “The fish really stacked up around the isolated milfoil and I caught in the neighborhood of 60 to 70 fish to do that.”
The result of his first two days of work at The Legends was that Duckett weighed 25 pounds, 8 ounces and qualified for the finals in 9th place.
The Legends – The Hole Course
He didn’t get much of a chance to look at the hole course because he wasn’t sure that he was going to make the cut. So, instead of scouting for the finals, he fished to the end of the qualifying. When he looked at the course the next morning he settled on an offshore bite. “Choosing to fish offshore is a real gamble because of the time constraints to the rotating format,” Duckett said. “My Navionics chip in my fishfinder helped me find the structure must faster, and saved me time.”
| He went looking for the type of cover that he flipped and threw Rat-L-Traps on the first two days, but said he was unable to locate it. “That area of the lake is totally different than the rest of the lake,” he reported. “So, I had to make adjustments quickly.” As a result, he spent most of the day throwing a dropshot on deeper structure, but he did weigh one of his keepers that day throwing a
crankbait. |
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“I used an E21 Carrot Stix and Abu Garcia Cardinal spinning reel with Berkley’s new 100% Fluorocarbon, a Tru-Tungsten dropshot sinker and a Triple Margarita Berkley Power Hand Poured Worm,” Duckett said. “My best spot was in hole number one, where I caught fish cast after cast.”
The first day of the finals featured overcast skies with wind and thunderstorms, and while Duckett was able to bag 16 pounds, 8 ounces, he trailed Dean Rojas who capitalized on the weather conditions with his frog pattern. But, Duckett knew that the clearing conditions the final day would make things tough on Rojas’ frog pattern. “I told my brother that night, that Dean would have a tough go,” he continued. “I felt that Jason (Quinn) and Kevin (VanDam) would be my competition.”
The clearing skies did come, and with it, the winds were light, and the air temperature increased. But, Duckett’s expectation of a deep water bite did not happen. “I only had one fish halfway through the third rotation, so I had to make an adjustment.” His adjustment was to pick up his flipping stick and head towards the bank. However, instead of heavy handed punching, Duckett went finesse flipping.”
“My finesse flipping rig consists of downsizing my line and lure,” Duckett explained. “It is an approach that I learned fishing in the clear water of Tennessee during the hot summer months; and I feel very comfortable doing it.”
His rig at Dardanelle included his E21 flipping stick and Abu Garcia Revo STX, but instead of braid, he spools it up with 15-pound test Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon, a 3/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten slip sinker above a 3/0 hook and an Electric Blue seven inch Berkley Original Power Worm.
His approach is to move slowly down the weedline and flip the lure into the weed edges and let the ribbon tail of his Power Worm work while the worm falls slowly. The result was a 13-pound, 9-ounce limit that pushed his total weight to 30 pounds, 1-ounce; enough to overtake Rojas, and hold off Quinn and VanDam for the win, and the $250,000 winner’s purse.
Secret to His Success
Duckett is what one would consider a ‘part time, full time professional angler,’ meaning that instead of The Bassmaster elite Series being his sole occupation, he is a business owner. There has been some talk of his business since Duckett won the Bassmaster Classic in February; but, what not too many people know how much his company, and his business life impact his fishing, for good and bad.
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That business, Southern Tank Leasing is a multi-million dollar company that has 65 employees. Duckett says that he is a hands on business owner, but that he has people around him that he trusts who run it when he is away fishing. “I’ve got great employees, people who allow me to be on the water competing,” said
Duckett. “But, I am still on the phone about the company during practice for at least six hours a day.”
One might think that having his phone ringing while trying to put together a $250,000 pattern might be an annoyance. To
Duckett, it is an example of what has made him an angler that has learned to win tournaments. “I started learning to apply some of my business management skills to my competition around for or five years ago,” exclaimed
Duckett. “It was then that I started winning tournaments.” |
“I don’t get as much time to work on my mechanics as the majority of my competitors because of my business,” Duckett said. “I have a lot of weaknesses on the water that I have to work on, but I try to overcome them by making good decisions.”
Duckett compares a fishing tournament to a chess game, saying that one move can set up the next three, so he works hard to make good decisions. “I’m at my best when I allow myself the freedom to make good mental decisions and be versatile; it’s how I compete against guys who are better mechanical anglers than me.”
The End Results:
The ultimate outcome of Duckett’s approach is that he has won The Bassmaster Classic and a major in the same season. He feels that both victories are a result of his ability to be flexible. “Like the Legends, I thought I had a chance at the Classic because the weather was going to change everyday,” Duckett said. “I could compartmentalize each fishing day, much like I do when problems arise while with running my business, and at Lay Lake, and Dardanelle, things worked out.”
That they did, and for Duckett, they have been for quite a while. His approach has earned him $959,522.50 over his career, which has included 48 entries in BASS competition; as such he averages $19,900.05 per entry. For comparison purposes, VanDam, the all time BASS career earnings leader at $2,538,958.30 over 197 tournament entries, an average of $12,888.11 per event.
“I haven’t really taken the time to look at the earnings,” Duckett remarked when told of his statistics. “I’ve really concerned myself with trying to be competitive, but now that I hear that, it is pretty cool.”
I’m not too sure his competitors would agree.
For more about Boyd Duckett’s sponsors mentioned:
E21 Fishing Rods: www.e21fishing.com
Tru Tungsten: www.tru-tunsten.com
Berkley / Abu Garcia: www.purefishing.com
Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap: www.rat-l-trap.com
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